BTECs starting 2015 - General support thread

[TeenAndTween]

Is there anyone else around whose child is starting a BTEC rather than A levels? Should we stay on this board or move to Further Education?

My DD has enrolled for Travel & Tourism.

I've had a fabulous idea, i'm going to make her a darkroom in the garage (my office) . We can all learn how to do it.

Won't the equipment cost a fortune? Only been in one myself on open days but I remember different baths, chemicals, enlargers?

My DD just went into college on her off days when the darkroom was free and grabbed the technicians (who apparently often know the most!)

Can see the sense of doing L2 as a year to get to grips with the style of BTECs and know a couple of people doing that

My DS's old school did BTEC Sport rather than GCSE PE. He started the L3 course understanding how the grading works. Is doing well as he enjoys what he is studying but I do think that previous experience has helped him too

I think it probably would Kez. There are people with pics of DIY ones they use put and about for black and white prints so guess it is doable. DD is very unlearn in that idea though so will abandon it and put down to early morning insanity.

I can see that Gaslight, very useful to have the experience behind him. I think I'll be quite twitchy until DD gets some feedback to say if she is in right tracK or not.

Thanks for all the words of encouragement.
Well we had the meeting.

They said that to do Extended + AS you should be an A grade GCSE person, that has been their policy for 3 years. (Why did nobody ever say this clearly when we went to open evening, when DD applied, when DD enrolled??).

She is doing fine in her AS, and in the lessons. But they showed us an example of what she has submitted and someone else's. A world apart. . Also not mixing too well with the others. .

They said she would be bored in the level 2 course. (Thank you for suggesting I asked about that though).

We agreed she needs to switch to the standard diploma.
We asked that she is given opportunity to talk through what she needs to refer to and write to meet requirements and that skills development focus attention on helping her identify what she needs to do.
I am also going to need to be more hands on short term to try to make sure her assignments meet criteria.

DD isn't overjoyed, but we told her its our/colleges fault for signing her up to something she isn't 'qualified' for. But she is pleased she keeps the AS.
And more space in the timetable will mean less pressure, more time to do extra work on the AS, or extra curricular stuff, or to find someone to explain assignments to her etc.

I don't feel at all confident yet, so we shall see.

It's good you now where the "missing links" are and it's also good that she can carry on AS in a subject she is good at.

Now it's just making sure she completes the assignments correctly. If she doesn't write it down, they can't mark it. It does sound like some guidance is needed on what to cover - then she can go off and cover it herself.

I think my DD prepared some general exemplar lists for evaluating her photos so she didn't miss anything, pity that won't help as your DD is doing T and T.

Also tell her well done to be allowed to do her AS - she is clearly very able at that subject to be doing A level and that's not a usual situation, so it's not a surprise she's found herself facing a slightly different scenario.

Thanks Kez.
Don't know about 'very able', but her B for GCSE Spanish was gained after only 2 years studying and with only teeny tiny input from me as I don't know Spanish, whereas some of her other GCSEs required massive input. (She also got a B for French with limited assistance).
And for Spanish AS at least, the 'writing' element is limited to only 250 or 300 words in the exam. So her ability to do 'expanded detail' hopefully will cause less of a problem. (fingers crossed).
I'll feel a lot happier when she has passed some assignments though ...

Good news about the Spanish T&T but how annoying they didn't say that earlier. I'm so sorry this means more is falling on you, I do hate Dyspraxia sometimes. I think you will need to keep a close eye on College to check they are doing their bit, I get the impression from a few people that they have gone off the boil a bit recently.

Has she found anyone she clicks with in the enrichment things? Just asked DD whether her friends have branched out much and they generally haven't and are still sticking to their school group, none of them are very confident. Friend said it did take some time for her son to get to know new people but it did gradually happen. Hang in there, a difficult week for you all but hopefully things will improve with the changes.

Thanks Sugar . I think maybe they couched it in too soft a language that the message got lost. Especially as most of the interaction was directly with DD and she definitely doesn't pick up on subtleties.

She is clicking with kids in the 'inspiration room' but not so much with people on her courses. And that means she hasn't got friends to discuss assignments with etc which doesn't help matters.

She'll need some TLC for the next few days to get her back on track and feeling confident. At least half term is coming up so we can get away from it all for a bit. Just hoping she's OK when she walks in the door in 30 mins.

Yes I think half term will be a good break. With all the travelling etc it is a lot to get used to. That's good that's she is finding some new people, though see what you mean about people to discuss assignments with. DD hasn't really got that either. She is very self conscious at the moment which I think is general tiredness and need for a break.

Hate that waiting for them to walk through the door feeling. I hope she (and you) is ok. Think you need to be kind to yourself as well the next week or so. It takes a lot emotionally to deal with all this.

How was she last night T&T ?

I've been thinking of her too.

She's OK about it, I think. Seeing the advantages of doing fewer lessons and assignments.

But now she is coming down with a cold, so says she didn't get much done today - not good as has assignment to redo for next week and needs to massively add to it.

Roll on half term, that's what I say!

Sorry to hear your DD has been having trouble teenandtween

Been away from the thread for a while. Things aren't going well for DS. He told me last night he has failed all the assignments submitted so far, although has been allowed to re-do them.
I have told him again that he needs to speak to someone at college about what he is struggling with but I don't believe he will. He is perfectly able, but I don't know if it is because he isn't concentrating in lessons/putting in the effort (he's obsessed with spending time with friends) or if he just doesn't understand what it required. They haven't had any guidance on how to do assignments which I think is poor as it is very different from GCSEs. Unlike school who would have picked up on this quickly and spoken to him and probably us about it, college just don't seem to care.

I know it is early days, but I am already seeing this year as being a write-off and him maybe starting afresh next September if he has matured and developed study skills better by then. He's August birthday and I have often thought he would have done so much better in the year below.

thunder This is the position DD has been in. Failed all first 3 assignments as they were all submitted before getting any feedback. She has had some help from skills development and now better understands what is required so helpfully that will help.

IMO the first few weeks should be spent on study skills and doing practice assignments with feedback.
Really not impressed with the college. No signs of any student support at all. I called them a few weeks back when he was worrying, left a message on voicemail and nobody ever called me back. Thought this was going to be a new positive start for him and it's just been rubbish.

I'm now starting to look at what apprenticeships are available locally...

T & T she will find easier to cope and I am presuming that at the end of the two years she will come out with the equivalent of 3 'A' levels. I am sure that on entry requirements for uni they ask for an 'A' level in addition to the diploma. A spanish 'A' level will much more use along side the diploma than an extended diploma.

Thunderbird I never asked my DS if the college explained about the grading etc. Maybe none of them do and the students are expecting to get on with it. Ridiculous I know but wouldn't be surprised.

BTEC is so very very different and your DS could be putting 100% effort into class and know all there is to know about the subject but if he doesn't understand the marking criteria he will fail. If he doesn't want to ask a teacher is there an older student he could approach?

Not a great day. One of the tutors told her that her presentation isn't acceptable so the Dyspraxia raised its head again. Plus the behaviour on bus on way home was awful. She isn't hugely happy and hanging on for half term.

Sugar If the dyspraxia is causing problems, she needs to visit skills development. They are currently helping DD ensure she properly structures things and doesn't miss important stuff for the assignments she is redoing. We're hanging out for half term too (you do know they're closed Fri 23rd and Mon 2nd don't you?).

Sugar Plum Tree, my DD did almost all her assignments as an online blog. Oddly, her uni tutors want it completed in a workbook so she has reverted. Can she look at a peers work to find out accepted ways of presentation?

And of course, using study support of the college.

Thank you both. The suggestion about skills support is going to go down like a lead balloon. She was very shaken upamd crying after the bus yesterday and is probably crapping herself about it today, so have told her to go downstairs near the driver. Think we're going to muddle through rest of this week, then over half term have a good talk about it and will persuade hero accept a bit of help.

Letters coming through now thanks T&T, very glad they've got the extra time. I need it as much as they do, it's been so stressful, FIL died the day before they went back and DD has been on 3 courses at two different places.

Kez, that is very interesting about the online blogs. I think something like that might suit her better sow I'll see if that is an option, thanks.

She's remembered what the tutor said - It's of a problematic standard. He only looked at a page though and she has been looking at other peoples to see what content they have and says she is confident about that. She's got a spare book and is planning tore write it for that tutor over half term. The other tutor looked at another book and just said handwriting messy so she has been redoing bits of that,

Said I think she needs to tell them about the Dysraxia and she firmly said absolutely not and I'm not to. I'm shattered and it isn't even 8am.

I feel for all of them and fully understand as my son has Dyslexia. My DD went to art college for her BTEC where everyone had to be screened in the first week. Mainly because, they said, a very large number of creatives have problems and a lot are undiagnosed, so it is worth them screening everyone so that they can ensure the right support. I have a feeling my DD was "borderline" and definitely has an issue reading some texts (and as a result she hates it - but it has to be dine at Uni no avoiding it). It's very gallant of her to not want to let them know but I am sorry they have made her feel that way - they should be supportive and wanting every student to achieve their potential.